Journey with Tinker Bell and her fairy friends into the forbidden world of the mysterious Winter Woods, where curiosity and adventure lead Tink to an amazing discovery and reveal a magical secret that could change her world forever.

My Take:

For Tinker Bell and the other warm-season fairies, the Winter Woods remains a mysterious and forbidden place. Warm fairies and winter fairies are not allowed to cross into each other’s realms without risking their wings. However, unable to control her curiosity, Tinker Bell sneaks over the border into winter, and an extraordinary thing happens—her wings begin to sparkle and glow. Protecting the delicate wings with a warm, homemade coat, Tink continues into the mysterious Winter Woods and meets Periwinkle, a frost fairy whose own wings sparkle and glow, too, when Tink comes near. With the help of Dewey, an eccentric but wise fairy, Tinker Bell and Periwinkle discover why they share this strange and wonderful connection. As a fantastic and remarkable friendship blossoms, the pair becomes inseparable.

There is a reason that the warm-season fairies and those from the Winter Woods have remained separate. Tinker Bell and Periwinkle are determined to remain together in spite of warnings. Periwinkle shows Tinker Bell her winter world, introducing Tink to her frost fairy friends; and by building a portable snowmaker that lets Peri travel to the warm lands of Pixie Hollow, Tinker Bell brings her to her home. Still, Tink and Peri can’t out-tinker nature. When the snowmaking machine jeopardizes the warm lands of Pixie Hollow, a terrifying freeze threatens to destroy the Pixie Dust Tree. Fairies from both sides must unite —in a race against time.

I have now seen all four of the Disney Fairies stories on Blu-ray and have enjoyed each of them. Secret of the wings is special in that it brings together two distinctly different worlds within the realm of the fairies. The wholesome story about Tink finding Periwinkle as well as why the two realms have remained separate is heartwarming. The story is wonderfully balanced and Joel McNeely’s beautiful music score provides an excellent backdrop for the film. Voiced by a great cast it brings back the charming characters from the first two films, while adding a few new ones, and is positively reinforced family friendly entertainment that can be enjoyed by young viewers and their parents. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I am sure that your family will as well.

**My audio/video ratings are based upon a comparative made against other high definition media/blu-ray disc.**

Audio: 86

(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)

Dynamics:

Low frequency extension:

Surround Sound presentation:

Clarity/Detail:

Dialogue Reproduction:

3D Presentation: 82

(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)

Depth (Onscreen):

Dimension (Beyond the screen):

Realism:

Clarity/Detail:

Color reproduction:

Secret of the wings 3D comes to Blu-ray Disc from Disney featuring 1080p MVC encoded video and lossless DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio sound that has an average bitrate of 3.8 Mbps.

This is a sparkling 3D presentation. The animated elements retain much of their 2D splendor and look terrific especially in terms of delineation and contrast. Detail is well preserved with images retaining a high level of clarity as objects within the frame are refined and sharp. Depth is appreciable as evidenced by the notable separation of objects/characters layered in the foreground/background. There isn’t a consistent array of pop out of the screen effects but there are instances where objects extended beyond the screen to create a virtual sense of dimensionality. This revolves primarily around the more active scenes and includes falling snow, streaking owls, and blowing leaves. Comparing color reproduction to the 2D presentation I saw no discernible difference. I didn’t notice any overtly distracting signs of ghosting/crosstalk and found this to be a reserved albeit pleasing 3D experience that enhanced the enjoyment of the film.

The DTS-HD Master Audio encoding makes excellent use of the entire surround platform and offers detail rich sonic clarity and crystalline dialogue. This mix doesn’t bombard you with constantly aggressive surround sound. It applies it when appropriate and combines discretely placed directional cues with rear channel ambience that fills the listening area nicely. The front and rear sound field’s never collide but work in unison to render the soundtrack with precise imaging and acoustic placement that elevates the experience. Dynamic’s are robust as LFE channel supports the recorded elements with appropriate bass response that is punchy and clean. This is a well rounded overall presentation that compliments the source material.

2D Video Quality:

Video: 100

(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)

Resolution/Clarity:

Black level/Shadow detail:

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Fleshtones:

Compression:

Secret of the wings comes to Blu-ray from Disney featuring 1080p AVC encoded video that has an average bitrate of 32 Mbps.

Each of the Disney Fairies films look beautiful on Blu-ray Disc and this presentation is no exception. Images are awash with lustrous and vibrant hues that are wonderfully diverse and make for visually engaging eye candy. Greens are particularly vivid with visible gradational stages that bring out subtle degrees of separation. Each of the characters has distinctive physical qualities that are attributable to the color of their clothing, hair, eyes, or skin. The video is immaculately resolved with pristine quality and fine minutia that shows strict attention to detail. The facial features of the various characters have lifelike quality that allows them to display a varied range of emotions. Contrast and black levels strike a great balance as whites are bright, detailed and punchy while blacks are deep, dynamic and exhibit appreciable delineation. This is a resplendent, polished, and beautifully rendered Blu-ray presentation that looks fabulous on my large front projection display.

Bonus Features:

Disc 1:

The secret of the wings 3D Blu-ray

Disc 2:

The secret of the wings 2D Blu-ray (including the following bonus features)

(HD) “Great Divide” music video by The McClain sisters

(HD) “Dig down deeper” music video by Zendaya

(HD) Pixie Hollow Games – 22 minute animated short film

(HD) Pixie Preview: “Fright light”

Bonus DVD of The secret of the wings

Digital Copy Bonus Disc

Final Thoughts:

Secret of the wings is the fourth installment in Disney’s Fairy Series and is an endearing animated film that makes for wholesome family entertainment. Disney’s penchant for top notch audio/video presentations on their animated Blu-ray Disc released continues with this four disc set that features pleasing 3D video, superb high definition quality, and excellent lossless DTS-HD Master Audio sound. The noticeably light supplemental offering is the only complaint in an otherwise excellent package that is a worthy addition to the collections of Disney Fairy Series fans.

Thanks for the review, Ralph! The wife and I are definitely looking forward to this one. As a couple of Disney nuts, we never thought we'd find ourselves looking forward to a Tinker Bell movie, but these movies have been consistently great. I'm glad that they finally have one coming in 3D too!